Alex Smalley and Matti Schmid got great payoffs with their top-five finishes at the PGA Championship: an invitation to The Masters for the first time.
The top 15 finished in the PGA earn a return trip to the championship in 2027 at PGA Fresno in Texas.
Smalley, tied for the third-round lead with Schmid, finished second with Jon Rahm, three strokes behind winner Aaron Rai of England. His long birdie putt to close out the championship delivered a big bonus.
“Thrilled to be going to Augusta next year,” said the 29-year-old Smalley, who netted seven figures from the T-2 finish. “I knew that top four and ties, I believe it is, gets you into Augusta. So I knew that was a possibility.
“I wasn’t really thinking about it honestly until I hit the green on 18, saw where I was,” he added. “Was really just trying to two-putt, just trying to lag it up. That 20-footer up the hill on 18, I was just trying to get a tap-in. Fortunate enough that it went in.”
Another payoff for Smalley’s 6-under total and high finish was a huge move in the world rankings. Smalley started the week 78th and will move to 42, well inside the top 60 to earn a spot in the U.S. Open at Shinnecock next month.
Schmid picked up just one shot on par in the final round and finished in a tie for fourth with Ludvig Aberg and Justin Thomas at 5 under. He earned $843,867 from the record $20.5 million purse.
